A FIREFIGHTER who risked his own life while off duty to tackle a blaze and “save” the Scarisbrick Hotel has been honoured by his superiors.

A FIREFIGHTER who risked his own life while off duty to tackle a blaze and “save” the Scarisbrick Hotel has been honoured by his superiors.

Anthony Murray, 36, had travelled to Southport with his partner for a break in the sea air and a few days off the job, but found himself putting his training to good use when a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning.

And last Wednesday, Mr Murray, who is based in Chorley, was commended by his chief fire officer Peter Holland.

The crew manager told the Midweek Visiter: “I was a bit taken aback, nobody expects to get any award and the turnout was quite overwhelming, quite touching.”

It was October 9 last year when the sound of a fire alarm woke Mr Murray in his hotel room.

He got out of bed, looked into the corridor and saw a developing fire on the landing, with some furniture and curtains already alight.

The father-of-one realised that if left unchecked the fire would escalate quickly, putting the lives of other hotel guests in danger.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Without any hesitation and with little regard for his own safety, he took an extinguisher and immediately tackled the fire. He had to crouch down to stay below the smoke layer.

“Alone and without back-up, he fought the fire, steadily bringing it under control.”

Once Merseyside Fire Service arrived, Mr Murray stayed on scene to brief the incident commander on the situation and gave details of the location and the actions he had taken.

Hotel manager Tony Cafferkey said: “He just took it in his stride but he literally did save the hotel.”